very much inspired by @theorganfarmer but theirs is more serious and mine is mostly crack but go check theirs out its peak
idk how he put his head back on his neck or get out of the spike but idc he lives with the mind flayer dead now
he stayed in mikes basement (like el in s1) after being found by the main party and it took el+will a ton of convincing that hes flayed (no el and kali is not dead the finale sucks but kali hangs out with nancy and them yk)
it took like the longest to convince max and mike and the wonder twins aren't the best at talking
he has problems seeing from his left eye and his left hand is still the vecna hand and prob has a ton of scars, but the vines and shi is all gone
the party decided to keep him as a secret until he gets better (yk from the injuries and living in hell for idk how long without food and water?) and being a "serial killer" and allat
ted and karen eventually found out abt him and karen was like why is witch boy living in our house now (not that she has a problem with it) and ted doesnt remember him lwk
dustin is lwk chill with henry even at first because hes probably the fastest to understand, and they're both mega nerds and talks about science (though dustin is more of a astrophysics guy and henry is a bio guy)
lucas like having a psychic guy around cause its pretty cool, and he got him into dnd and now the party plays together (its a great distraction from the pain)
lucas also thinks henrys hand his pretty badass and that makes him feel less insecure cause its a mark of the mf after all
they made him play as vecna but lowkenuienly does he even know hes a vecna and is that even allowed in dnd?
el is worried about her (obviously) very sick and injured brother but he often refuses help and tries to act fine, karen feels the same too cause all she sees is the litte theater kid 🥺🥺🥺
still acts like an 8yo (like in TFS) like he sucks his thumb and doesn't understand a lot of things
(what he looks like rn)
I have a lot more but this is getting too long so ill put another post (im so hyperfixiated help) and ill include creelby trust
If yall have any suggestions for the next part pls tell me!!! (part 2 here)
redeemed henry headcanons part 2 (+ creelby as promised)
Part 1 here !!!! (those are more streamlined these ones are mostly just random thoughts sorry of that 😭😭😭💔)
I think yall know this if ur into TFS but vecna is the mf posessing him technically just to clarify
the reunion between henry + jopper is abosolutely insane (no i refuse to believe they realized off screen joyce wouldn't kill her witch boy bffr rn)
watches boring shows with ted, he finds them interesting though cause he've never seen color tv before
dresses like mr whatsit cause its literally him trying to be more adult but its kinda out in the 80s sooo
patty came back to hawkins for like a guest appearance as shes a pretty well established singer at vegas and contacted joyce
they did a hs reunion thing, even though they both think each other is dead, they dont care at that moment anymore 🥺🥺
after that they're basically inseparable, karen doesn't mind living with another one of her hs friends tho
patty paints henrys nails!!!! to prevent him from biting them especially his left hand
they match idc what yall say they will both have blue nails
regarding the point above, henry's fav color is actually yellow but he likes blue cause its patty's fav color
he has a sensitive stomach and living in the lab + abyss didn't help at all but obviously he wouldnt admit that
his fav drink is coffee because it keeps him awake from the nightmares 💔
his body is not really used to how hot the rightside up is bc the abyss had to be cold right? but he likes the heat because he knows that hed be safe here without the MF
sometimes sing on stage with patty like love songs
while his singing skills are up to interpretation (🥀🥀🥀) henry still can't dance (only thing ill take from canon)
does arts and crafts with el and will!!! he draws spiders and other borderline disturbing stuff, but learnt how to sew (from el) and made a spider plushie (for el)
cosplays as superheroes with patty on halloween (kali does their makeup)
likes scifi (creelby movie dates?) but his taste in music is trash
moved to vegas with patty at the end but visits hawkins often (basically every holiday) and plays dnd with the party!!!!
technically part of the byers family now 😭😭😭 like el and kali are his sisters and will and jonathan is their brothers yk
biromantic asexual (bi4bi creelby propaganda)
Sorry if this one is too long heres some adult creelby to make up for it!
Again lmk if yall have any ideas 😭😭😭 im still in this hyperfixiation hellhole and you can't drag me outta it
henry redemption fic!!!!! (eventually leads up to creelby reunion dw)
Finally caving in - huge thanks for @visd3stele for the encouragement!!! based on my headcanons here (part 1/ part 2) this is my first fic ever and its mostly crack/whump helpppp
Chapter 1: Vecna
Vecna - Henry Creel - had been out for god knows how long. Probably since the kids of hawkins impaled him in the spike in its innards, he thought - wait - what? He thought? As in Henry Creel, not the shadow that've been controlling whatever had been left of him, both in his psyche and outside? The man did a mental check, literally, and confirmed that he is the only voice in his head.
He used his psychic powers, pathetic in comparison to the past, to pull himself out of the spike, and the last bits of his vines to attach that head of his back onto his neck, as the vines starts to decay and eventually crumble. It definitely took more than a while but with all his energy he got up and standing. Stepping outside of the giant cave - please don't use that word, he thought - all he saw was emptiness.
Don't get it wrong, it was still the same eldritch dimension Henry was used to, deserty, barren, chilling, but something was missing. The vitality, if you can even call it that was non existent. All the creatures, humanoid or not, were just... gone. Then it clicked. The voice in his head, or rather the lack there of, the withering vines, the monsters, the incomprehensibly giant corpse of the spider like form of his master... thats because it was gone, isn't it?
Every biotic component of of the plane was interconnected, down to the smallest of veins and Henry and Joyce's kid, were all part of the hive mind. They were all controlled by it, acting against their own will and powerless to resist it, as much as Henry is not willing to admit it. He told the boy during their battle that he was acting on his own accord, but that was never true in a million lifetimes. The monster stripped away his humanity piece by piece, his family, his friends, his Patty, so that he'd give in to it. He did resist it, contrary to what he said, but it was so so much more powerful than his little 14 year old self that it ended up taking over time after time. In a way, he was just like one of those insignificant pollywog- esque creatures.
Henry dragged his body across the vast desert, and he doesn't know where it ends or begins for a fact. It reminds him of the time he spend exploring when he was 8, not knowing or caring where to go, but we all know how that turned out. Weirdly, he doesn't feel any of the pain despite the scars across his body. Even with his monster/vein form gone, he is still riddled with the marks of the hell he've been through here. He began to wonder if it's due to the resistance he built up while being in papa's custody, but that thought was interrupted by a red crack on the floor.
If he remembers correctly, it had made him (literally taking over to) open those gates to the overworld by taking the souls of some teenagers, as it was powered by the energy of the dead. That means he can slip through, back to Hawkins - back home, right? There might be the possibility that authority like the military would find him, and the fact that he's legally dead since 1959, but that doesn't affect his decisions because ultimately, his motivations while in the lab, in his mindscape, in the cave was - to live.
Carefully making his way out of the hole, he landed on a familiar forest. He clawed his way out of the bushes, being significantly harder now with human hands, or at least one of them, and blurry vision especially on his left side. He finally made his way out of the woods to a suburban neighborhood. It was exactly as Henry remeber it, though he doesn't know if its his memories exactly or the amalgamation of one of his - its - victims. He used his last bit of energy and arrived at the backyard of one of the houses, and - thump - he collapses.
The party was celebrating their long awaited victory with a dnd campaign. It was by some miracle that they made it out in one piece, but here they are now. At long last, they can play games like normal teenagers instead of battling mind control monsters and psychopathic sorcerers in other dimensions. " - and then the guild defeated the wizard, and lived happily ever after in that little village of theirs..." the dungeon master, Mike, recited. But that typical ending of the 10 hour campaign was greeted by a loud noise in the backyard.
Lucas and Dustin, being the most curious, naturally went to check it out the fastest. El, the mage, followed as she is the most capable of protecting her friends, in her own words. The rest of the party followed, mostly to make sure their friends are safe. It must just be some animal, right? It wouldn't be something too dangerous, they've seen stranger things, after all. But delivering to their back door was a lanky man laying face down with disheveled blonde hair, torn clothes but a distinct brown vest, stained with blood and soot, looking as beaten up as the rest of his body. Except he was really beaten up, by them. The man in front of them was the man Will saw in the caves, El's oldest brother, their real life campaign's villain - Vecna
Anytime Anywhere (henry redemption fic part 2 i finally got the title yay)
Chapter 1/ Headcanons I based the fic off (part 1/ part 2/ part 3)
This chapter is mostly whump/sickfic with henry andd the party and ive never written any of those before 😭😭😭 so pls bear with me here 💔 itll eventually be a creelby reunion but for now patty haunts the narrative and ill post it on ao3 when i get the acc helpppp
Also tw vomiting but like it’s not graphic or anything and it’s pretty long 😭
Henry's eyes started to open, but he couldn't focus his vision for heaven's sake. Maybe this is what the afterlife looks like, he thought, with the warm lights in contrast of the relatively dark environment being too bright for his liking. Or perhaps that's just due to being out for too long, or maybe the vague figures hovering over him, which he could barely make out to be around 6 of them, are actually angels that are taking him to hell.
After a long argument (mostly being El and Will vs Mike and Max, with Lucas and Dustin being the most levelheaded, to talk them out of said argument, with the former trying to convince them Vecna was flayed and the rest trying to understand where that point even came from), the part agreed to compromise. As their mage said, "halfway happy." The disheveled man was kept alive, but tied up in the corner of their basement so he wouldn't have a chance of hurting anyone else.
Even from the haze of his fever Henry can still recognize his sister - El's face, her wavy brown hair almost dipping onto his battered clothes but shes trying to avoid contact unless necessary, while checking up on their nemesis. "You're burning up" she stated, while putting her palm on his forehead in the most awkward way possible. The blond winced upon contact, a sensation he haven't felt since a lifetime ago. "God, I didn't remember human hands being so cold," he wanted to say, but it didn't make past his throat probably due to being drained so he grimaced instead.
"Soo..... what are we gonna do now?" Dustin said, slightly lowering his spear to aim at the man, "Quick question, Mr evil interdimensional wizard, are you gonna kill us all now?" "Hes been out for like... what? 3 hours? I don't think he could do that even if his life depends on it, man." Thankfully, Lucas answered that prompt for him. Because truth to be told, the teen is right. He is nothing more than a living corpse, and the only thing keeping him alive - thank god - doesn't exist anymore. But he wouldn't want to be seen as weak, right? That'd be pathetic.
"Go away," Henry exclaimed, or as much as he could, anyway, "I'm fine." "We... we just want to help," Will replied, either being timid or wary. Even if he knows in his head that they're not the same person, his heart still reminds that the man wears his abuser's face. "Why would you even help someone like me," his voice barely audible, "I'm responsible for everything that happened to this town." "We don't know for sure! Cause my friends are all being idiots and..." Lucas insisted, then turned to the man on the corner, "Damn, you look terrible - how long has it been since he ate something?"
"Why does that matter? That's none of your business" Henry muttered. But his thin frame and expression already told them the answer, as much as he is trying to hide it. "What? So we're just gonna... feed him?" Max chimed, "What happened to hiding him? And please don't forget he's still a serial killer." "Leave that on me!" Dustin proclaimed, confidently. This situation kind of reminds them of the time when they hid El from the government when they first met, except this time they're hosting someone far more dangerous. Their bard came quickly running down the stairs, with a steaming bowl of soup in his hands which interrupted that thought.
"Dinner's ready!" He said, sarcastically, as he handed the bowl to the blond's shaking hands. Genuinely, when was the last time Henry had a nice warm meal? How long ago was '53? Before the hellscape, before the lab, before the cave... happiness, an idea so foreign, seems so simple back in that past life. He entertained (not literally of course) himself with those ideas as he carefully sipped his soup, not noticing the teenagers watching him like a spectacle, as warmth filled his body.
Unfortunately, it didn't sit very well with him. The bits of soup along with the contents of his stomach wanted to escape and protested with a sharp pain. Henry swallowed that feeling, obviously wanting to seem fine in front of his enemies. He is quite good at this, after all the training he got from his time with Brenner. He went for another round before the pause was noticeable and prayed for the best.
That unpleasant sensation on his abdomen didn’t listen and doubled down instead. Henry curled up on his side in a fetal position and you can guess what happened next. He doesn’t have enough energy to care if he appeared pathetic anymore, much to his dismay. The teens didn’t have enough time to react, in all their lifetime they’ve never expected the supposedly psychopathic wizard to be in this state.
As his enemy, El would stay in shock and would not know what to do. But as his sister, she instinctively went up to Henry, despite being covered in a pile of mess, held him up to a sitting position, and rubbed gentle circles on his back. Exactly like how his father used to when this happened when he was younger, which is more than he liked to admit. He must’ve done the same with her sometime before, as her touch had the exact same pressure and frequency, and the exact same effect.
Mike, as the de facto leader of the group, decided that the situation needed intervention from real adults. His mother, Karen, busy cooking while being on the phone was surprised to see her son emerging from their basement. He usually stays there for hours and hours with his nerdy friends, only occasionally coming out for a snack. She doesn’t know what he’s rambling on about, but the big getaway is for her to come down, apparently.
She is quite confused, mind racing with scenarios on why the group of teens will need her assistance, but never in a million years will she expect the truth. As she swung opened the basement door, she saw a blond man - an adult - being held by a brunette girl. That was the most outstanding feature amongst the chatter of the other kids, and he doesn’t look like he’s doing well. That wasn’t the strangest part, though. A spark of recognition hits Karen’s head like a bulldozer. She would admit that she isn’t brilliant with faces, but oh, she definitely remembers him. She shot an arrow in the dark, but it’s more than likely bullseye and called, “Witch boy?”
Henry stepped out of the shower with the clothes his old friend gave him, sliding himself in a sweater way larger than his size. Obviously, he wasn't in the mood to complain, even though he always kept the mindset of looking the best in front of people. It never left him after decades of being drilled into his head by his mother, and then his papa. He haven't seen his reflection in ages, especially not in this state.
His face, neck and chest were chiseled with scars, a reminder of his past that never goes away. He brushed his hair, which is way longer than he Brenner liked, with his left hand. Maybe he forgot about his sharp nails, or was desperate to see his eyes, but blood came out of his scalp either way. Right - who could forget his brilliant blue eyes? Henry barely remember what it looks like. Even if he thought - knew - he was a monster, he would never forget about those eyes. As insecure he is of his appearance, Patty's complements on them are etched in his heart.
"Oh, Patty, why can't I stop thinking about you"
He must've muttered that out loud, as that attracted a curious voice, one of his sister's.
"Henry are you ok? How do you feel?" As Jane's head peeked through the door, with her twin behind her long wavy hair.
"I'm fine" He responded with the driest tone possible, crossing his arms on his midsection. As he marched through the carpets to the other end of the halls, the twins followed.
"No, you're hurting" El blurted out, "a lot." Oh right - she can read any of his waking thoughts, how can Henry undermine that? Why did he waste his effort on acting? He must be sick out of his mind.
Henry didn't respond. Jane squeezed her oldest brother's hands slightly harder.
They lead him to the basement, where Karen made a rudimentary bed with a mattress and a couple of pillows. "I'm not gonna bother your rest," the woman stated, "if you need anything please let me know," as she ascended the stairs. She took the twins with her as well. It was getting late, anyway. The rest of the party must've left.
He curled up in the bare mattress, staring into space. His sister was right. He was hurting. His body was riddled with scars that just gets thicker everyday. His system can't even get used to the food he used to eat. He did have a sensitive stomach since he was younger, but it's not to this degree. It's rumbling to protest, so he tried to rub circles to sooth himself, but he ended up scratching his skin with his otherworldly hand. That's what a monster deserves, right?
So he wept, silently. Like he used to do in the lab - alone.
The mage and the sorcerer had other plans.
El and Will were camping outside the basement door, they knew something like this would happen. She can sense it, perhaps due to her abilities. Will doesn't have superpowers, ever since he disconnected with the hive mind, but he had been in a similar enough place to knew how he felt.
His sister immediately rushed in for a hug. Her brother stander back at an awkward distance, a look of concern hanging over his face.
Henry didn't reciprocate in the midst of his incoherent words between the sobs. "Why do you even care! I'm a monster!"
"Cause...cause I know you're not in control. He made you do things, just like he did to me" If anyone understood his situation, it had to be Will.
"And Papa, Papa would torture you for his own amusement. It's not your fault" Jane added.
"No...you're...you're all wrong. I did everything out of my own agency." the lie tasted bitter in Henry's mouth, "I joined it because I wanted to."
It's all my fault, El's abilities told her what he was thinking of. Maybe...maybe that is the truth, it lines up with the narrative, right? All her senses told her this is what happened, that he chose to join the Mind Flayer's side due to his own free will, but her heart said otherwise.
"You were too young. Way too young to have a choice." Jane replied, trusting her gut.
All his words he were using as a shield were stuck in Henry's throat. When he tried to cast it, only tears came out instead.
"There's nothing wrong with being helpless," Will followed, now sitting closer to the duo," it took me a long time to realize, I know it's hard to move on, cause even though the guilt will eat you up inside, you have to accept that there's nothing you can do at that point."
"But...I killed Patty... and our siblings..." Henry rambled in between his sobs.
"It took control of you. That's why we call it the Mind Flayer," Will defended. "I think we should give him some time, El," his sister nodded, "but remember, you always have us."
"And you're not weak for admitting your vulnerabilities," El said softly, right before closing the basement door, "unlike what Papa had drilled into your head."
Henry didn't think so. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get past the walls he built to accept he's a mere puppet of the shadow. But a part of him is glad that someone understands his trauma, and that there's people who actually cares about him despite who he is. His heart warmed up after that thought, involuntarily.
